


Night owl

by 2BWonkyo



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Brain Surgery, Doctor/Patient, Drunken Flirting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Love, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23453857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2BWonkyo/pseuds/2BWonkyo
Summary: Where Changkyun kept coming to the hospital to complain about headaches even though the cute neurosurgeon called Yoo Kihyun was just tired of rejecting this attention seeker drug addict.How regretful he felt when the boy actually became his patient because of his careless behavior.
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	Night owl

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This story is pretty basic and common, but it needed a lot of knowledge I did not have, so I did researches but some informations may be false. Please don’t take anything seriously, I’m not a doctor or anything, this is just for fun! Enjoy!

This busy and loud building became his home.

A place hated by much, who would like to see blood and tears? Yoo Kihyun was a masochist for sure. But when he told his parents he wanted to be a neurosurgeon because of how interesting the brain could be and his love for people, they cried of happiness. Ten years later, here he was, an emergency doctor in the biggest Seoul hospital. It was worth his efforts. He never gave up, since to save people gave a meaning to his life. The 27 years old man was known to be intelligent, passionate and strict but also very caring, considerate, kind-hearted. Always putting his patients' health before anything else. He didn't care if they did not have money, he would pay for them. That was why Kihyun was so admired by his colleagues and literally everyone in this hospital. But the truth was, his job forced him to give up on everything. He never had a love life, or he didn't see his parents for months, to quote only the hardest to deal with examples. All his school friends stopped trying to see him as well.

When his night shift would end... the confident mask would fall as he went to his dirty but above all sad and cold apartment. He would sleep, eat, sleep again, and go back to work at each sunset. Again and again. The job he chose needed a lot of composure. He couldn't just cry if a patient died. So couldn't be scared if a patient threatened him. Or tried to guilt-trip him if he couldn't help more. His job didn't ask for him to become a robot, but to hide his feelings in his heart as deep as possible. So the habit stayed and followed him everywhere.

There was one thing his colleagues reproached him for. Nobody was perfect; Kihyun was not _always_ kind. The Kihyun from years ago promised himself to stay a good person, to help everyone, even the bad ones. Because people could change, right? But he didn't keep his promise: time changed him. 

He just hated selfish people, and refused to treat them. And Im fucking Changkyun wouldn't be an exception.

The boy was sitting on the hospital bed, raising his gaze at the exact moment the doctor opened the room divider curtain. "A patient came for headaches, it's for you, Kihyun." His manager said. He should've known better. Tiredness never agreed with him. The boy whose eyes were half hidden by his long dark bangs but not enough to hide his red eyes white skin. Sick white skin. The dark loose clothes he wore didn't help Kihyun to appreciate the man even more. 

"I won't inject you anything, get out."

"I didn't say anything yet-"

"Im Changkyun, there's people, like me," he insisted on the last word to show how angry he was, "who are busy saving lives, just because I accepted to inject you once to calm your headache for free doesn't mean you can come here as much as you want."

The delinquent looking stood up carefully. His whole body screamed insomnia and alcohol. From his clumsy movements to his fast blinking irritate eyes or yet his extreme paleness. Anybody else, and he would treat them. Not him.

"But, please. My head hurts more each time, and the thing you injected me really helped me..."

Kihyun was tired, exhausted from seeing him. At this point he wanted the boy to live in another country if this meant they would never meet again. But tonight, Kihyun was too tired and busy to argue with him so he sighed, seeking something in his pants pocket before approaching the younger, who was obviously confused.

"Aaah," Kihyun simply whimpered, opening his mouth like telling him to do so. So did he.

A mint chewing gum.

"You stink. Try to drink less, and you'll see, all your problems will magically disappear. Anyway, the psychology department is on the upper floor. Don't come again."

Finally, Kihyun thought he would understand. Selfish people, who bother others with their problems, uncaring, is everything the doctor hates. He never judged mental problems, but he just wasn't good with feeling. It wasn't his job to deal with their mind. Kihyun once wanted to, but now he focused on the body, and body only. That was for the better.

"But you don't understand!" the drunk and already out of breath boy yelled softly, grabbing the surgeon's sleeve. "Can't you do some blood tests, or anything, please... ! I really can't-"

"No. Just no. When will you understand that I don't care about your addiction, stop being selfish and manipulate people to have what you want, you're not 5 years old anymore, so act like it!" This time he screamed louder than intended and he could swear everyone passing by behind that curtain heard him. But it was enough. "It's the third time this week, and it's not even Friday yet! I bet your bothering the day shift, as well, just stop your drunkard behavior, fuck!"

He definitely went too far. So far he could already hear his manager threatening to fire him, _again_ . But this 22 years old but still acting like a kid man was coming to complain for weeks now, explaining why the older couldn't handle it anymore. But by the way Changkyun looked taken aback, he probably won't take a step in there again.

"Okay, i'm sorry for bothering," the concerned man didn't give him a last glance, leaving the place. Disappearing as fast as he appeared.

_ A good thing done tonight. _

Or so he thought.

"You're fired."

"No, I'm not."

"You'll be soon."

"No, I won't."

"Kihyun," his friend stopped washing his hands in the sink, turning around. "We already had this discussion a thousand of times alrea-"

"I know, Hyungwon." He didn't. Actually, Kihyun knew he had to change his behavior but if the will wasn't there, it would never be. "You know how I hate those people who think they can do anything they want. Like life isn't stressful enough..."

"Don't you think that... you're going too far? I don't want to defend him, but if he keeps coming every week then maybe..."

Kihyun liked Hyungwon. They have been friends for years. But right now, he wanted to shut him up.

"He just likes attention and drugs... Nothing more."

A silence followed while both focused on washing their hands, and put on their gloves for the next surgery. Hyungwon smirked, getting closer to his friend's ear.

Some teasing seemed good. "Did he do something else that triggered you?"

"Fuck, Hyungwon!" He snapped. "Seriously, shove off. After that, don't even talk to me."

The tall pediatrician he considered as his own brother was the only one aware of his homosexuality.

_ As long as it stays a secret, everything will be okay. _

Kihyun ignored why the world thought he liked to be yelled at, but it looked like he needed his daily dose to survive. The next day, a young girl – a patient – let out high pitched screams as soon as he entered the examination room. His eardrums suffered every day, here.

“Go away! Don’t touch me!

“Miss, I’m a doctor, someone send me here for bruises and-”

“No! Get out! Don’t get near me, send another doctor!” only then he noticed the teenage girl was crying. “A woman.”

_ Oh. _

“S-Sure, wait here, don’t move.” Kihyun got out, heading fast toward the reception.

His friend, an older and kind woman, smiled at him. “Something’s wrong, my prince?” Better skip the fact that she was a 50 years old woman that liked to tease. A lot.

“The patient you just assigned to me... a young girl.” The old woman nodded, totally unaware of whatever was coming.

_ Oh god. _

“She’s in a bad state, I mean... aesthetically.”

“Kihyun...! I didn’t think you would be like that! Since when do you judge women’s beauty-”

“No no no no,” he showed a smile that quickly left, whispering: “Okay, I’m going straight to the point, I think someone sexually assaulted her.”

The face his friend made told everything. “What?”

“She got scared and cried when she saw me, her clothes and hair are a mess. She wants another doctor. A woman.”

“Oh my god... Thank you Kihyun, I’ll try to get someone else and help her a little.”

“Thank you.” Then, Kihyun left, sighing.

The night was long and pretty slow, considering the hospital was oddly empty. The doctor sat down on a waiting chair in the hall. Not many emergencies. He did a surgery earlier, but nothing out of the ordinary. The rest consisted of colds and sprains.

His short break let him time to watch the next stretcher entering the hospital, led by other emergency doctors he knew too well. Every single one working in this hospital counted as family. He felt good here. Better than he did at his child’s home or his current home. Both were horrible.

“Prepare a trauma room, now!”

“What have we got?!” A doctor approaching them asked.

“Male, 20, overdose, vitals unstable. He vomited and fainted before we got him and convulsed on the way.”

Kihyun smelled a déjà-vu but he threw the bad feeling at the deepest back of his mind. It couldn’t be Changkyun.

The stretcher passed fast in front of him as the doctors entered the patient in a room.

Black hair. Pale skin. Frail shape.

“No pulse, he’s having a heart failure, bring out the defibrillator!” The doctors ripped the boy’s shirt off. Ready to charge.

Whether he wanted it or not, Im changkyun’s heart wasn’t beating anymore.

_ What? _

“Charge! 3, 2, 1, clear...! No response, charge! 3, 2, 1, clear!”

Another shock. Chankyun’s body jumped by the charge as the monitor beeped again. Kihyun stopped listening to his colleagues’ yelled orders when his mind snapped. The boy – young, gloomy boy – he refused to treat almost left. There weren’t any sad emotions going through him, but regret and shock only. He was so used to seeing him in a bad condition that he never got alarmed. Feeling like these annoying arrivals would never end. Perhaps, if Kihyun insisted and advised him better, Changkyun wouldn’t be here right now.

He didn’t see it coming. And the fact that he should’ve was a punch in the face.

“Changkyun...!” A boy, sweating and out of breath pulled Kihyun out of his trance. The stranger looked panicked.

“Hello,” Kihyun quickly got himself together.

_ Professional, Kihyun, professional. _

“May I ask who you are?”

"I’m... My roommate just- did an overdose, an ambulance took him here... Please tell me he’s okay, please...!”

“He’s okay, he’s in good hands, here. What is your name?" Kihyun asked, putting his hand on the younger’s back to guide him to the waiting room.

"Kim Mingyu..."

"So Mingyu, Changkyun is safe. He will get a detoxification treatment, but he’ll be fine.”

"Okay, okay," he nodded fast. The anxiety didn't leave him yet. That was understandable.

Questioning was far from being his favorite part, but it must be done. "May I ask you a few things?" After confirmation by another nod, he kept going, "Since when is he drinking?" Kihyun wondered if he talked out of curiosity only or not, but he ignored that.

"Hm... A few months? I don't really know, but it started after he stopped going to school. He's sleeping less and less and he's even weaker each day, he said he went to the hospital but the doctors said it was because of his addiction..."

"You think it's not?"

"To be honest, no... He started to be weird even before drinking."

Without a doubt, Changkyun had some psychological problems. He was right. It wasn't under his jurisdiction. 

"If he sees a psychologist, and has good treatment, everything will be fine, he's still young."

Hopefully.

For two days, Im Changkyun was being the most annoying patient. Why was it so surprising? He refused to eat, to sleep and his vital signs were not improving. Almost like he wanted to stay. But despite that, Kihyun was too busy with other patients to really care. He wasn’t even his assigned doctor, which made things much easier. A cardiologist was instead; Changkyun supposedly had a weak heart.

Kihyun wasn’t involved. He could forget him and not worry.

Until said cardiologist yelled his name. In a hospital, emergencies were common, yet Kihyun got confused when the call came from Changkyun's room. Still, he didn't think too far and ran to Jooheon, his colleague at the room's door.

"What? It's your patient, not mine."

"Kihyun, he just convulsed."

"What? His blood alcohol level is almost non existent by now."

When the man looked down, biting his inner cheek, Kihyun knew better.

"What? Jooheon what did you do?"

"I didn't give him any medicine yet."

"Excuse-me?" Maybe he wasn't very fond of Changkyun, but professionalism stayed important. "You're telling me that his state wasn’t just because of drugs but let him like that?"

"Don't blame it on me, you were the one saying he was just an attention seeker, so when he told me he was drinking to ease the pain of his headaches, so his addiction couldn't be the reason of his symptoms... that he's always tired, has a blurred vision and numbness... I thought of hypertension, but because of his overdose, his heart was too weak the first hours, it could've distorted the results and he could've lied too so... Let's say I had priorities."

"You forgot. You," he poke Jooheon's chest, "just," again, "forgot." And a last time. Kihyun entered the room with an ashamed cardiologist behind. Changkyun was asleep on the bed, pale as usual. His vitals signs were weak but normal.

"So what? He's barely eating, hypoglycemia maybe? That could explain the epileptic seizure and the hypertension. Give him a blood test, now."

"Kihyun..." the called one raised his eyebrows, "I just did that before you came. Everything is normal... His blood pressure is normal too..."

Spasms, without alcohol or any blood dysfunction. That meant...

"What-..." the two doctors lowered their eyes, while Changkyun's were slowly opening. 

Memory loss and weak consciousness.

Kihyun took a first aid flash light, turning it on before aiming for his eyes.

"His iris barely reacts, he's lost. That's normal after spasms, but I'll do other tests."

"Kihyun, stop denying it, you know why I called you, he has a brain tumor."

"He doesn't." Kihyun replied fast, breathing in and out. This wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Give him another blood test, because I'm sure he’s just lacking some sugar."

The older put the flashlight away, already leaving the room. Jooheon stayed silent, lost in his thoughts. He was aware of his friend's problems but talking about it became a sin after the years.

"How's your mother... ?"

Afraid of being heard, Kihyun took a few steps back to grab the brown haired’s arm to lead them outside the room. "Don't talk about that, it has nothing to do with her."

"It has _everything_ to do with her. She used to drink a lot when you were a teenager, you see her in Changkyun, is that why you refuse to treat him?"

"No, it has no link!"

"Be honest, or I talk to the manager. You know you're important to me but you can't treat a patient differently because of your personal problems."

Kihyun sighed when they entered the staff room. He refused to see it. But maybe Jooheon was right. And he wasn't even the neurologist here.

A silence took place for a minute now, so Jooheon sat on the couch and patted his friend's back once he did the same.

"I-I’m sorry for yelling at you, I didn’t mean to.”

“I know. You can’t avoid that subject all your life, though.” Like his friend clarified, Kihyun was a coward. Sweet and gentle, but mean and running away at every invisible danger.

“I didn’t talk to my mother for... 3 months, now, I think?” the man frowned. “The last time I saw her, she was okay. Actually... She stopped drinking 2 years ago, already. I didn’t tell you guys because... I don’t know. I’m still mad at her.”

Thankfully, the staff room was empty at this hour. Saturday nights usually happened to be complicated for the whole medical corps. Young people liked to party a lot. For the enjoyment of the two friends right now. They could share deep secrets more easily.

“When I was... 17? I think.” Kihyun kept talking, guessing the ‘why’ at the tip of Jooheon’s mouth. “She couldn’t accept the fact that she was growing old. So she made new friends, bought new... more sexy clothes, all those things. I was uncomfortable with it but I didn’t say anything. Our relationship collapsed when she started drinking.”

Until then, Jooheon was already aware. He heard some things, asked around.

“She was just being immature and irresponsible. It was like she forgot she had two kids. I have a younger sister,” he completed, softly. Kihyun’s voice was shaking from a complex of madness and sadness. Emptiness. “But it wasn’t the worst. She got selfish, calling me anytime, when I was with friends, when I was at school, just because she was lonely. And if I refused to come, then she pretended to be sick, injured, anything, or she threatened me to say embarrassing things about me online. Because of that, I missed important exams, or I couldn’t even date, or go out. And no matter how much I was pissed at her, she would always find a way to guilt-trip me and I just-”

Jooheon took his friend’s head and put it in the crook of his own neck. To push him until he broke down wasn’t his first intention but what had to get out did. Kihyun refused to talk about it for years. The accumulation got his heart to crack. His teenage years weren’t something a young soul should bear from a parent. Should bear at all.

“She was never here to listen to me, to comfort me, or help me when I had a hard time, she was just being invasive, so I left the house when I was old enough.”

“It’s okay.” Jooheon whispered while playing with the brown soft hair under his chin. “I’m sorry your relationship with your mother wasn’t the most easy one, but you do realize you treat Changkyun badly because of her, right?”

Kihyun opened his red watery eyes, hidden by the younger’s shirt. “I just can’t keep my cool when I see his face, that’s-”

“Kihyun. Try to get an overview. A kid is coming every week for headaches and you yell at him. We discovered he has a tumor, now. And don’t contradict me, I’m a cardiologist and yet I know better than you. You’re the neurologist one here, I’m sure it crossed your head the first time you saw him. You’re the most talented doctor I’ve ever seen of my life, Ki.”

He whispered the last words, as a fact the older never knew. A welcomed sign of affection. Kihyun wouldn’t show it, though.

“He’s not a kid anymore, he’s 22.”

“At 22, yes, you’re still a kid, and don’t change the subject.”

Kihyun was tired. His brain cells hurt from thinking too hard.

_ I’m so pathetic. _

Without any shame, which surprised Jooheon, Kihyun hugged him hard. Tired to pretend and lie and pretend again that he needed things he didn’t and say unrealistic things.

“I just-” he bit his lips. The next words would hurt. “I just took advantage of his weakness to tell him everything I wish I could say to my mom since she always had the upper hand over me...” Kihyun struggled to breathe, overwhelmed. “Now what if he has a tumor? I don’t want to. What if the tests show it’s at the highest level, what if he dies because of me? I’m the worst-”

“Hey hey hey,” Jooheon attempted to calm him down. “Shhhh, as long as you realized your mistake, it’s fine. You’re going to do the tests, and you’ll take care of him. You’re the best, remember? Nothing can resist to Yoo Kihyun’s hands.”

Nodding and wiping his tears off, Kihyun didn’t notice another doctor opening the staff room, obeying Jooheon’s quiet lips telling him to leave. At least, a good step was done.

Now he had to take care of Im Changkyun properly. “I’ll do my best.”


End file.
